Effects of Different Exposure Times and Concentrations of Sodium Hypochlorite/Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid on the Structural Integrity of Mineralized Dentin

Introduction: This study tested the null hypothesis that there is no difference between the use of 1.3% NaOCl/17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and 5.25% NaOCl/17% EDTA irrigation regimens on the collagen degradation and flexural strength reduction in mineralized dentin. Methods: Dentin powder and mineralized dentin sections were immersed in 1.3% or 5.25% NaOCl for 10-240 minutes and then rinsed with 17% EDTA as the final irrigant for 2 minutes. Untreated mineralized dentin powder/sections served as controls in the respective experiments. Dentin powders were examined by using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to analyze their relative subsurface intact collagen content with the apatite/collagen ratio. Hydrated dentin sections were subjected to 3-point flexure under water for determining their flexural strengths. Results: Collagen degradation was significantly increased and the flexural strength of mineralized dentin was significantly reduced after the use of 5.25% NaOCl as the initial irrigant for more than 1 hour (P < .05). Conversely, changes were insignificant when 1.3% NaOCl was used as the initial irrigant for up to 4 hours (Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance, n = 10, P < .05). Conclusions: The null hypothesis was rejected. The deleterious effects attributed to the use of NaOCl on dentin are concentration-dependent and time-dependent and are not associated with the demineralization caused by the use of EDTA as the final active irrigant.